building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a usually roofed and walled structure built for permanent use (as for a dwelling)

2

: the art or business of assembling materials into a structure

Synonyms of building

• structure
• house
• edifice

Examples of building in a Sentence

My office is in that small brick building.

We bought the land for building.

Recent Examples on the Web

He was arrested at a building at 344 West 65th Street. —Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026

Named for a Fort Worth businessman, the building was built in 1921. —Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2026

With its 18th-century buildings and cobblestones, rue de la Commune feels like the Rive Droite in Paris—except instead of a rivulet, the water is the size of a sea. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2026

The explosion wrecked the cruisers and blew out the windows of nearby buildings. —Zayd Ayers Dohrn, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bildyng, buldyng, from bilden, buylden, bulden "to build entry 1" + -yng -ing entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing building

• apartment building
• building block
• building society
• sick building syndrome
• team building
• world-building

Rhymes for building

• gilding
• boatbuilding
• outbuilding
• rebuilding
• roadbuilding
• shipbuilding
• upbuilding
• bodybuilding

Kids Definition

building

noun

build·​ing ˈbil-diŋ 

1

: a permanent structure built as a dwelling, shelter, or place for human activity or for storage

an office building

2

: the art, work, or business of assembling materials into a structure